1) The Czech Republic is a Party to the 1980 Hague Convention.

The 1980 Hague Convention: a multilateral treaty which provides procedural guidelines on the return of children and their protection in cases of international parental child abduction.

Contact the Central Authority established in the Czech Republic for cases of child abduction (operational languages: Czech, English and German).

2) The Czech Republic is a Party to the 1996 Hague Convention.

The 1996 Hague Convention: a multilateral treaty which determines jurisdiction, applicable law, co-operation in respect of parental responsibility and access rights, as well as civil and public measures for the protection or care of children.  

Contact the Central Authority established in the Czech Republic for cases of dispute concerning cross-border parental responsibilities and rights of contact with children (operational languages: Czech, English and German).

3) The Czech Republic is a Party to the Brussels IIA Regulation.

Brussels IIA: a legal instrument of the European Union to help resolve family disputes involving more than one country, over divorce, all parental responsibilities and, in particular, the custody of children. Brussels IIA is a regulation applicable to all European Union Member states (except Denmark). The regulation prevails over the 1996 Hague Convention in cases where the child’s habitual residence is within a European Union Member state (except Denmark). Please be aware that if a decision on access and/or custody rights is taken by a court from the European Union, the regulation foresees that a State Party to the 1996 Hague Convention must recognise the court decision.

Contact the Central Authority established in the Czech Republic designated under the 1996 Hague Convention for cases of dispute concerning cross-border parental responsibilities and rights of contact with children (operational languages: Czech, English and German).

You can determine whether countries relevant to your case are Parties, or not, to the 1980 Hague Convention on International Child Abduction, the 1996 Hague Convention on Child Protection and/or Brussels IIA (except Denmark) in order to locate the appropriate central authority. As for the 1980 Hague Convention, you can check whether the Convention is in force between two specific States in the Spreadsheet showing acceptances of accessions to the Child Abduction Convention.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs provides assistance in material need to families that do not have enough income and their overall social and property level does not meet basic living requirements.

The Czech Centre for the Improvement of the Family Life STREP is a non-governmental non-profit organisation that is an officially registered provider of social services and has been granted permission to carry out social-legal protection of children (website is in Czech). STREP has two Child and Family Help Centres (in Prague and Beroun) providing free-of-charge social services for families with children (e.g. training programmes for parents, support of parenting, support for families with social and economic difficulties, etc.).

Family therapy in the Czech Republic is covered by a national organisation, the Society of Family Therapy (SOFT) that brings together experts from various professions working in the area of systemic and family therapy (website is in Czech).

Home-Start Czech Republic a non-profit organisation providing home-visiting and practical assistance to young families experiencing difficulties. Its volunteers offer free-of-charge and confidential support to parents. You can contact their offices in Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Liberec or Hradec Králové (website in Czech).

The Office for International Legal Protection of Children is an authority for social legal protection of children. The organisation deals with child abduction cases, secures the effective exercise of access rights (e.g. the right of the parent to maintain contact with a child, the right to be informed about the life of a child) and intercountry adoptions.

Our Child is a fund that helps abused, handicapped or abandoned children and orphans. The fund provides financial support, legal advice, educational activities, etc. (website is in Czech).

The Centre for Integration of Foreigners (CIC) is a non-governmental organisation that offers social services and educational programmes for foreigners who are long-term or permanent residents of the Czech Republic. The CIC is active in all Regions of Bohemia, though its main activities are in Prague and the Region of Central Bohemia. Under this link, you can find all relevant information about life as a foreigner in the Czech Republic by choosing the topic in the column on the left or by contacting the CIC directly here.

Caritas Czech Republic (Caritas CR) offers outpatient counselling and terrain forms to its clients by providing a variety of integration activities, work in residential facilities for foreigners, direct and humanitarian assistance to foreigners and support to victims of trafficking. Caritas CR exists in six cities of the Czech Republic (Prague, Brno, České Budějovice, Litoměřice, Hradec Králové and Plzeň).

The Organization for Aid to Refugees is a non-governmental and non-profit organisation that provides free-of-charge legal and social assistance to foreigners in need (victims of exploitation, human trafficking and foreigners in detention or homeless), looks after parentless foreign minors and helps foreigners integrate into the Czech Republic or return back home successfully.